Hall About Pop: The best songs of the summer

Thursday

Aug 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMAug 30, 2007 at 10:30 PM

Summer’s almost over, but before everyone heads back to school, you might want to sing a few songs in the car while driving by the beach one more time. I’m talking about the huge songs of summer 2007 you couldn’t avoid hearing no matter how hard you tried.

Nancy Hall

Summer’s almost over, but before everyone heads back to school, you might want to sing a few songs in the car while driving by the beach one more time. I’m talking about the huge songs of summer 2007 you couldn’t avoid hearing no matter how hard you tried.

Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” the lead single to her album “Good Girl, Gone Bad,” features Jay-Z in the original version but spawned remixes with Lil Mama and Chris Brown, and it was even covered by Mandy Moore. The song was so huge, Rihanna teamed with Totes to design her own line of umbrellas.

Not designing clothes but endorsing them, Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry” is being heard on radios across the country and in her Candie’s ad on TV. What was already a huge musical year for Fergie became even bigger this summer when “Big Girls” rose to No. 1 in eight countries, including the United States.

Another huge summer slow song was “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s, but it’s sad to know this love was unrequited. The real-life Delilah wanted nothing to do with lead singer Tom Higginson, a fact that inspired the parody song, “Re: Your Song About My Client Delilah,” by Robert Lund. Even without Delilah’s love, music lovers took the song to the top spot on U.S. charts and made it the most downloaded song on iTunes for July.

But by August, Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls” had replaced it on the charts. Using the tune of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me,” Kingston sings about being dumped despite his young age. Only 17 years old, the Jamaican-American has the distinction of being the first singer born in the ’90s with a chart topping hit.

Other chart-topping hits that deserve another listen before the summer season is over include: “Lovestoned” and “Summerlove” by Justin Timberlake, “The Way I Are” by Timbaland, Maroon 5’s “Makes Me Wonder” and Pink’s “U + UR Hand.”

So this Labor Day weekend, relive all your favorite summer memories through song.

Music Buzz: Justin Timberlake has joined the cast of Mike Myers’ comedy “The Love Guru.” Filming begins next month in Toronto. ... Recently convicted Lindsay Lohan wants to begin work on a third studio album. ... Wayne Newton will cut a rug this season as a cast member of “Dancing With the Stars.”

Norwich Bulletin

Nancy Hall is on air at Q105 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Email her at nancyhall@q105.fm.